


Meeting You

by janetcarter



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/M, Fears About Motherhood, Light Smut, Medical, Morning Sickness, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:22:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22061752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janetcarter/pseuds/janetcarter
Summary: A collection of snippets exploring Delenn’s pregnancy with David.
Relationships: Delenn/John Sheridan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29
Collections: Happy Endings Exchange 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SammyFlower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammyFlower/gifts).



> The title is a reference to Mira Furlan's song "I Don't Know Who You Are" which was sung with The Be Five, to her unborn baby.
> 
> Disclaimer that I've never been pregnant before so, while I did my research, I don't have a frame of reference to draw from. I get the advantage of working with a half-alien whose body doesn't obey all of our human norms, but if anything is really wildly off please let me know.

Delenn had always loved children, but wanting her own and being capable of motherhood were two very different things. Her mother was a cloudy figure, shadowy and long-gone. And her father, tall and strong, left wounds with his death that still bled. She held fond memories of him, and the other figures who did raise her… but she could not help but doubt her own readiness for the task.

In addition to her own fears, she did not know if she could biologically carry a child. As much as she wanted to know the truth, she had yet to ask Stephen for an answer. She did not want to be told what she did not want to hear. 

They were in the middle of a new age, she and John. They did not have time for a family, anyway, did they? He was always wonderful with children, bright-eyed as though a child himself. But he barely had twenty years left. If they were going to do this, they did not have time to waste. 

Perhaps, it would be for the best to abandon the idea rather than bring a child into this world to only say goodbye to him while still a child themself. 


	2. Chapter 2

There were several common ways a Minbari could tell if they were expecting. The first, is that hormonal changes often caused their blue markings to take a darker hue. 

Delenn’s markings were no longer as visible as they once were. Due to the presence of hair, she no longer knew if she even had markings on her scalp. 

She looked down at herself in the shower. The blue lines running down her torso had faded significantly after her transformation, and the steam from the hot water only dimmed them more. She traced what she could see, stroking her abdomen lightly. Her breath hitched. The markings were certainly more sensitive than usual. 

She wanted to follow them lower, but instead bit her lip and rinsed out her conditioner. 

The second way a Minbari may suspect pregnancy is that their crests take on a glossy sheen. 

She wiped off the foggy mirror after stepping out from the shower. Holding back her wet hair, she examined her crest. Water droplets still ran down its ridges. 

Adjusting the towel around her tender breasts, she wiped away the thin layer newly fogging her reflection. 

The third way, though certainly not the last, was--

She gripped the sink as a wave of dizziness passed through her. Before she knew it, she’d thrown herself against the toilet. 

Perhaps… she would visit medlab afterall. 

But first, she had several meetings to head and stacks of paperwork to file and, for some reason, a very urgent craving for hylax seeds. She only hoped she would be able to keep them down. 


	3. Chapter 3

Before she could go to Dr. Franklin herself, or even tell John of her suspicions, she awoke in medlab. John, blurry for a moment, stood smiling beside her. He looked as though he might burst from the excitement, and so the words tumbled out: “We’re going to be parents!” 

He threw his arms around her. She hugged him back, wide-eyed and still processing it all. With a million questions on her tongue and warmth coursing through her, she melted into his embrace.

  
  
“A baby?” she asked, voice cracking as their hands met on her flat abdomen. Tears gathered in her eyes.

His whisper warm against her ear, he answered: “ _A baby._ ”


	4. Chapter 4

“Why do humans call it ‘morning sickness’ if it lasts all day?” she groaned. John held her hair back as she sat hunched over the toilet.

“An old tradition,” he guessed. “Stephen said it should go away in a few weeks.”

“He also said it might not!”

“The tests to get you the right medication should be done soon. We’ve just gotta hang in there, okay?”

“‘We’,” she scoffed, wiping her mouth. “As if you are the one vomiting every ten minutes.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” He continued rubbing her back. “I’m sorry.”

When she finally stood up, she ended up in his arms after another wave of dizziness knocked her off her feet.

“Delenn, you okay?” he asked, holding her steady.

“Yes, I... I believe I may have stood too quickly.”

He looked down at her flat stomach with a stern expression.

“You know, you are causing your mother a lot of trouble,” he lectured. “What do you have to say for yourself, huh?”

She hated that it made her laugh, but the anger did dissipate. “John.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I got so angry with you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He pulled her close. “As long as it makes you feel better, I fully volunteer to be your punching bag as long as you need.”


	5. Chapter 5

She and John lied together against the slight slant of her bed. The last few nights, they’d been so busy with their respective duties they’d often come home to find the other asleep. Tonight, however, the world was still. 

He kissed her bump, which was finally starting to show against her satin pajamas. “Goodnight,” he said softly, and lied down for sleep.

Just as she’d begun to drift off, she gasped at an unfamiliar fluttering sensation. She whispered his name and shook him awake. 

“What… Delenn?” He shot up. “Is everything okay.” 

“Yes! Yes, I believe so.” She took his hand and guided it to her bump. “Feel.” 

John’s eyes widened. Beaming, he asked, “He’s kicking?” 

She nodded excitedly, feeling the movement beneath her skin. There was no doubt of her pregnancy at this point. She’d seen the scans and experienced all too many symptoms, but now, it was far more real than she ever could have hoped. 

It was as nerve-wracking as it was exhilarating. She truly did have a new life growing inside of her; a life that she and John made. 


	6. Chapter 6

It was their last scan before moving to Minbar. She trusted their doctors, and they would still be in contact with Stephen. But so much change all at once was worrying, especially given the high risk of her unique condition.

Stephen fit the device to her bump. It criss-crossed over her skin, with thin little scanners on each strip of fabric. Moments later a hologram projected from the screen beside them. John held her hand as they studied their child’s developing form, which shifted in sync with the little flutters she felt inside.

“He seems to be developing on course,” said Stephen, checking the monitor. He went on about the biology, noting crest development, differences in human and Minbari anatomy, all the things that she wished she could understand. 

“Stephen.” 

He continued rambling, checking monitors and the scans. 

“Stephen,” she said louder. After a moment, he looked up clueless. 

“Yes?” 

“Is he healthy?” 

“For everything we can tell, knowing what we know… Yes.” 

That was all she needed to hear.


	7. Chapter 7

Something in this stage of pregnancy Delenn appreciated was her heightened sex drive. With her morning sickness mostly gone, she was finally able to feel like a person again; and a partner. 

She lowered herself onto John, letting out a moan when he was seated fully inside. As he explored her new curves with one hand and nudged her clit with the other, she slowly rocked her hips. 

He could hardly take his gaze off of her. It was the same way he had looked at her when they first explored her anatomy together. In those days, she had worried her changes would turn him away, but they had only given him more of her to love. The same seemed true now, too. 

His final thrusts sent spirals of pleasure washing over her, overwhelming her until she finally shattered with more intensity than ever before.


	8. Chapter 8

Setting up the nursery made it feel more real than the scans and symptoms and kicks. John had explained human cribs, but they never seemed to come in slanted form. He agreed on a Minbari cradle, the mattress of which was propped up just slightly enough to adhere to their customs and keep their child secure. 

She traced her fingertips along the cradle’s edge, imagining their baby sleeping inside. John’s arms wrapped around her, hands resting on her round stomach. 

He kissed her cheek. “You’re going to be an amazing mom.”

“But... what if I’m not?” 

“Delenn. You love kids, you’re compassionate and kind, and… I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else.”

She nuzzled her cheek against his and met his hand on her bump. “I hope you are right.” 

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my whole life.” 

It made her laugh, just a bit. She turned to him, stroking his cheek. “I am-- _we are_ ,” she continued, holding his hand against her stomach, “fortunate to have you by our side.” 


	9. Chapter 9

They passed by glistening crystal peaks and rushing falls. She cradled her bump with one hand and held John’s hand with the other. 

A Minbari who passed by shook his head in disgust. It was something she had grown used to in the years since her transformation, but John always wanted to go after the offenders. Normally, she did not want or need the spectacle it would cause. She had far beyond proven herself. It was no longer her problem if they rejected her.

Her son, however, was a different story. She could not help but grimace at the thought of him facing the same ostracization. He would not be pure Minbari or pure human. He would be just like her. And sometimes she wondered if she had ever had the right to put that on a child.

"Is something the matter?" she called after him. He flinched before running off into an alleyway. 

John went to run after him, but she stopped him.

“It isn't worth it,” she told John, stroking his raised arm. 

"It's just... It isn't right, Delenn."

"I know. They'll understand in time," she told him, hoping she could believe it herself. Discrimination toward her was a rarer occurrence these days, but it was a case where social change lagged behind political. 

"What if they don't? It's hard enough to watch it happen to you. What if our son has to go through that every single day for the rest of his life? I can't allow that."

Leaning against him, she swallowed against the lump in her throat. "We won't." 

Watching the rushing waters, it was a reminder that despite its current issues, Minbar held strength. It held beauty. And they would nurture such qualities together. 


	10. Chapter 10

John’s family had finally arrived on Minbar. They all sat together in a common room, John’s father telling stories about him as a child. His mother sat beside Delenn, with a scrapbook she’d brought along. His sister sat on the other side, hunched over the pages.

The scrapbook was old-fashioned, made of paper and glossy pictures when she expected a data crystal and holographic files. The last several pages were covered in pictures of John at various ages dressed like, as his family informed her, a “cowboy”. After a long discussion on their etymology allowed her to understand further, she felt it truly explained much of John’s personality--and the similar costumes he kept in their quarters. 

“Hey, Johnny,” Liz asked, eliciting a groan from him. “Remember that time you tried to round up the neighborhood dogs with your lasso? And the Richardsons’ husky chased you up a tree?”

“Oh, and she bit off the seat of his pants,” his mother added. “Hang on, I have a picture in here somewhere.” 

He blushed bright red. “Do you guys really have to keep doing this in front of Delenn?” 

“We wouldn’t be family if we behaved,” Liz joked. 

“John, it’s cute,” Delenn added, curling a hand beneath her chin. “I like hearing these stories.” 

“Well, at least someone gets enjoyment out of them.” 

“And if it would not take a tremendous effort to stand and retrieve your hat from our bedroom, I would have put it on your head by now for all to see.” 

Liz laughed. “You chose well, Johnny.” 

“You know, I think I have some of John’s old costumes lying around from when he was a kid,” his mother said. “First thing I do when we get home is mail them to you.” 

John lit up. “Really?”

“But only if you send pictures of the little tyke wearing them,” his father added. “For the scrapbook.” 

Delenn smiled at the thought. She imagined their child taking on many of John's characteristics from when he was a toddler. “Of course.”


	11. Chapter 11

They were sitting on their bench, looking out at the stars. Two moons rested against the blanket of space, holding wonders that would be unimaginable if she and John had not faced them first-hand. The stillness of the night and the occasional chirping of insects reminded her of everything they'd done to ensure the universe would be safe; for them, for everyone, and especially for David. 

As much as she wanted to bask in the calm beauty, she could only think about the baby using her bladder as a pillow. This pregnancy, while she was grateful to experience it, could not be over soon enough. 

She just wanted to meet her son. 

A yawn escaped her. John went to help her up, but she stopped at an uncomfortable sensation. Her eyes widened.

“John… I-I think it is time.” 

“Time? Now? But... But, we--”

“John, John. Calm down. I am fine. David is fine. I just…” She grimaced at the contraction. They’d been frequent lately, but becoming more intense. “He is not… going to wait.” 

“Right, right.” 

She grasped his hand, and he called for a medic. 


	12. Chapter 12

She was exhausted, but David’s crest was so tiny, and shaped just like hers. His hair was soft and light brown, and his eyes as blue as Minbar’s skies. With him asleep against her, and John pressing a kiss into against her cheek, she knew that it would all be okay.


End file.
